Mission to Itari
* 1 * Unidentified Starfleet vessels | strength2 = | losses1 = Indeterminate | losses2 = Indeterminate }} The mission to Itari was a mission led by the Starfleet vessel . ( }}) History Prelude The newly completed Starfleet prototype vessel Defiant, commanded by acting captain Sisko, was sent to conduct a test flight in the Itarian nebula on Stardate 45252.6, which was chosen as a proving ground for the ship's trial run because of its isolation from prying eyes. After departing Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, the Defiant arrived in the Itari system where they found disturbing evidence of a Romulan incursion into Federation space, the wreckage of a Romulan warbird well within borders. Starfleet Command was been notified of the Defiant's discovery, and nearby starships were dispatched to their position. Starfleet had been concerned with the active reemergence of the Romulan Star Empire in recent monthsm, observing that their actions seemed to be getting bolder with each new encounter, such as their most recent attempt to conquer Vulcan. As a matter of even greater concern to the Sisko, his chief engineer informed him that upon entering Itari, their warp drive had become mysteriously inoperative. Until other Federation starships arrived, Sisko took the Defiant's duty to scout the area surrounding the nebula to determine what, if any, Romulan presence still lingered; while this was supposed to be the Defiant's first trial run in a simulated exercise, Sisko was eager to truly her capabilities. Just before the Defiant could scan the wreckage, it was destroyed by a volley of Romulan torpedos. Immediately after, a trio of warbirds decloaked, led by Commander Valerius of the Tal Shiar. Valerius explained to Sisko that his forces were laying in wait for a very dangerous fugitive, who Romulan intelligence had placed as being in the sector, at which point Sisko determined that the disruption field inhibiting the Defiant's warp drive was their doing. Though Valerius voiced his intention to kill the fugitive, a female Vulcan "assassin", Sisko insisted that he must adhere to Federation laws in Federation space. Valerius accused the Federation of using the Vulcans to attack the Romulan Empire, citing the incident in which one of their worlds was destroyed. When Sisko, skeptical of Valerius' claims, made it clear that he could not leave the Romulans to their own devices after violating Federation space, Valerius ended the conversation and had his warbirds open fire on the Defiant, which fled to the nebula at full impulse. ( }}) The Mission In response to the Defiant's report, Starfleet ordered the Enterprise, commanded by Captain Picard, and three other Federation vessels to the Itarian nebula. With little intelligence to go on and no sign of the Defiant, the task force begun an intensive scan of the surrounding area to discover their fate. Aboard the Enterprise, their chief engineer reported all our systems are functioning properly, however, they seemed to be unable to create a stable warp field. Sensors indicated that the system was littered with objects that were giving off inverse graviton bursts which seemed to be having a destabilising effect on their warp fields. In addition, the Enterprise detected a faint signal coming from what appeared to be Federation transponder within the nebula. Moving to investigate the transponder, the task force's scans found it to be a Federation disaster beacon. Recovering an encoded message from Sisko hidden within the beacon's carrier, Starfleet were alerted to the Romulan presence within the nebula, with the first objective being to destroy enough warp dampeners to create a stable warp bubble. Fighting through numerous Romulan vessels and turrets, the task force found the Defiant within the shield perimeter of a Romulan starbase. Detecting no lifesigns, Picard reasoned that the crew were taken aboard the station. Preparing away teams, Picard saw that they were beamed aboard the station after its shields were brought down. The Defiant crew were successfully rescued by the away team, with Sisko having them beamed back to the Defiant, refusing to leave the ship for the Romulans. Breaking free of the station, the Defiant joined the task force led by the Enterprise as they fought their way out of the system. While fleeing the nebula, Sisko witnessed an old Vulcan ship. ( }}) Aftermath Sisko observed that the Defiant's encounter with the Romulan warships had truly tested the prototype vessel's fledgling capabilities. While she held up under fire, he noted that her systems still needed a great deal of work. After informing Starfleet of the specifics of the engagement, the involvement of the Vulcan ship in combat with the Romulans came to there concern. In light of the Romulan commander's claim of a "Vulcan assassin" and the appearance of the Vulcan ship at Itari, Sisko intended to find out what link these events had in common, predicting that it would not be easy, and what he would ultimately find would not be to his liking. T'Uerell would ultimately return twelve years later, in 2380, beginning with the Battle of Aurelia. ( }}) Connections Category:Conflicts Category:Federation conflicts Category:Romulan conflicts